#74 – Property Element Syntax

The simplest way to set property values in XAML is by using attributes.

<Button Content="Click Me" Height="23" Width="75" Background="Red" />

Because the Button.Background property is of type Brush, the string “Red” is actually used to create a new instance of a SolidColorBrush (subtype of Brush), with its Color property set to an RGB value of FF,00,00 (entirely red).

You can also set a property value using property element syntax.  This syntax allows setting a property value using an embedded XAML element of the form TypeName.PropertyName.

You typically use property element syntax for property values that can’t be expressed as strings.

Using the property element syntax, we can set the button’s background to a red brush as follows:

<Button Name="btnClick" Content="Click Me" Height="23" Width="75" Click="Button_Click">
    <Button.Background>
        <SolidColorBrush Color="Red"/>
    </Button.Background>
  </Button>